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Deepa
interview
This week's VEE-TV India Special follows 26-year-old deaf
actress Deepa Shastri as she travels to Mumbai in India to visit her extended
family and to celebrate her cousin's wedding. She also visits two schools
for deaf children with very different attitudes to deafness and sign language.
We chatted to Deepa about the experience.
Where were you born, in India or the
UK?
I was born in the UK and went to India to live but when my parents found
out I was deaf they were told to move back to the UK because in India
I would have been treated like an Untouchable, which is a caste system
they have in India – it means the lowest of the low. I would have
had an inadequate education and the future would have been bleak for me
without the same opportunities as in the UK. My aunts and grandfather
are all doctors so they had an idea of what it would be like in India
for anyone with long-term medical problems.
Are any of your family deaf?
The only deafness in the family was when my grandfather's hearing got
bad with old age, but I felt a special bond with him because of that.
What was it like to go to India and meet other
members of your family? Did you establish bonds?
I had developed a preconception of my family In India, but it was proven
wrong when I went over there. It was difficult to be in touch with them
as they relied heavily on phones. But prior to my trip to India I communicated
with them via e-mails and my mother relayed a lot for me.
What did you think of India? Did it feel like
home in any way?
Yeah it felt like I had finally come home. In the UK, it requires much
more of an effort to maintain my culture, whereas in India everything
is instant – it is everywhere and I felt parts of me were finally
fulfilled. Like I have always dreamt of being in my grandfather's and
father's childhood places. They used to tell me millions of stories and
it was very difficult for me to imagine. It finally came alive when I
went there for myself. I have always known the Indian hospitality is very
unique but never experienced it first-hand before, and in India it was
wonderful and overwhelming.
What needs to be done for deaf people in India?
Well, first of all they need a much better education, bilingual teaching,
better teacher training and more interpreters, as well as a change of
attitudes so that deaf people are normal. Right now they are regarded
as 'not normal' and if you are hearing they are regarded as 'normal' which
actually really annoyed me! I had to reason with them and ask them to
try and use the word 'deaf' and 'hearing' to distinguish between the two
different groups. I even had to spell it out for them what ‘deaf'
meant – it was hard for me to grasp that India is so backwards.
I realised how lucky I am to be living in this country.
Would you like to return to India again?
I am already planning my next trip to India! I have an aim and it is mainly
to revolutionise the Deaf community there. But the most beautiful thing
is that they still march on despite their situation – they take
the good with the bad, which is very humbling. I want to go back and change
things there for the deaf people, but it requires a 20-year plan as there
are politicians, parents and rural people that require time to educate.
What are the special issues facing young deaf
Asian people, particularly young women, in the UK? What needs to be done?
Oh that is a very hard question. As for me I have been very fortunate
that my parents have been very encouraging with my opportunities –
they are very liberal. And I find it difficult to empathise with deaf
Asian girls or what they are going through, but I know that they are expected
to do domestic household duties when they get married. Part of it is all
about them fighting for their independence and sometimes Asian families
are too overprotective towards their daughters – it really doesn't
do them any favours. They need to get out there and make a future for
themselves. It is all in the attitude. Positive attitude gets you places.
Take a look at some photos of Deepa's
journey to India.
View clip
More Info
You can find out more about Deepa and Maya,
the character she plays in the VEE-TV drama Rush.
Asian Deaf Women's Association (ADWA)
c/o RAD West Ham Deaf Community Centre
East Road
Stratford
London
E15 3QR
Voice: 020 8552 1397
Textphone: 020 8552 8734
Fax: 020 8586 7555
E-mail: asiancaseworker@yahoo.co.uk
Charity providing support for Asian deaf and hearing women and mothers
with deaf/hard-of-hearing children, living in London. Aims to encourage
Asian Deaf women to be independent.
London Ethnic Minority Deaf Association (LEMDA)
Stratford Advice Arcade
107-109 The Grove
Stratford
London
E15 1HP
Textphone: 020 8522 1958
Fax: 020 8522 1842
E-mail: pennybes@aol.com
An independent and culturally specific service for the black and ethnic
Deaf community across London.
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